Articles
冠词
Articles are words that modify nouns.
冠词用来修饰名词
We place articles right before the noun it is modifying.
我们把名词放在名词的前面当它被修饰的时候
Some common articles are:
常见的的冠词有
the
a
an
some
If we are talking about a singular countable noun, we need to use an article.
如果我们叙述单个物品时我们需要使用冠词
Have you seen the dog?
Can I borrow a pen?
Indefinite & Definite Articles
a, an and some are indefinite articles
a,an和some 是不定冠词
the is a definite article
the 是定冠词
When do we use indefinite articles (a, an, some) and when do we use definite articles (the)?
我们何时使用定冠词和不定冠词？
Indefinite articles
不定冠词
Indefinite articles are usually used for things that are not specific.
不定冠词用于不具体事物
I want to buy a dog.
The dog is not specific- the person wants to buy a dog, but they don’t know which one yet.
Definite Articles
定冠词
Definite articles are used for things that are specific.
定冠词用于具体事物
I want to buy the brown dog in the pet store.
The dog is specific – the person knows exactly which dog they want to buy.
(a, an) or the?
Can I borrow a pen?
I want to buy an apple.
I want to buy the red bicycle that I saw in the store yesterday.
Can you give me the blue pen on your desk?
No Article Needed
不需要冠词
When we are speaking about things in general, we usually use the plural form of the noun, but we don’t use an article.
当我们叙述普遍事物时，我们使用名词复数，但我们不使用冠词
I like dogs.
Cars are fast.
Cats chase mice.
Definite Articles
We use the in front of a noun when we believe the reader or listener already knows what we are talking about…
我们用定冠词修饰读者或听者已经知道的事物
…when the noun is one of a kind
The president of The United States.
The sun is very bright today.
The Queen of England.
Who is she? She is the president of our company.
Our company has only one president.
Who is he? He is a worker in our company.
Our company has many workers.
…when there is only one that we would talk about
We went to the park.
There is only one park nearby.
My cat is in the basement.
Houses only have one basement.
Indefinite or Definite?
We use indefinite articles (a, an, some) when we are talking or writing about something that is unknown and being mentioned for the first time.
我们用不定冠词来修饰读者或听者不知道或第一次提及的事物
We use definite articles (the) for things that have already been introduced or are already known.
我们用定冠词来修饰已经被介绍或已知事物
I see a dog.
The dog is brown.
There is a man.
The man is wearing a jacket.
That is a girl.
The girl is ten years old.
A or An?
We use a if the noun starts with a consonant sound.
a cat
a potato
a monkey
We use an if the noun starts with a vowel sound.
an apple
an orange
an egg
an hour*
A, An or Some?
A and an are singular indefinite articles.
I want a kitten.
I found an apple.
Some is a plural indefinite article.
I want some water.
I want some potatoes.
Some can be used with both countable and countable nouns.
Other Rules-Jobs
When we say what people’s jobs are, we use a or an.
当我们说一个人的职业时我们用a或an
He’s a basketball player.
My father is a lawyer.
She’s an accountant.
Other Rules
DO NOT use an article with countries, states, counties or provinces, lakes and mountains,
China
当我们说到国家，州，省，湖和山时我们不使用冠词
Shanghai
Lake Michigan
except when the country is a collection of states such as The United States.
Other Examples
My friend lives in Australia.
I live in Beijing.
I want to visit Mount Fuji.
My brother studies in The United Kingdom.
• DO NOT use an article when you are speaking about meals, places, and transportation.
• 当我们说到三餐，地点和交通工具时我们不使用冠词
• I eat dinner.
• I go to school by bus.
• DO NOT use an article when you are speaking about sports, academic subjects, nationalities or languages.
• 当我们说到运动，学科，国籍和语言时我们不使用冠词
• I play football.
• He is British, but he speaks Chinese very well and he also loves science.
